DIVE SITE
PALANCAR BRICKS

The little island of Cozumel certainly offers plenty of fun and adventure for vacationers who visit the island by the thousands the year round. From swimming, surfing and soaking up the sun along the beaches, Cozumel has developed a well-earned reputation for being a great place to vacation.
The same is true for those who love to scuba dive as there are a myriad of great diving sites located near the island. This is because Cozumel is part of the Mesa-American Reef which is the second largest of its kind in the world. This means that there are many wondrous sites to be explored by divers with few being as dramatic as the Palancar Bricks, one of the most impressive sites in the entire region.

The Palancar Bricks Experience:
Located just off the southwest coast of Cozumel are the Palancar Bricks which is named after a large amount of bricks that were carried by a ship which wrecked in this part of the ocean. You can still see the bricks lining the floor of the area to this day, hence the name.
The first thing you will notice is the dramatic coral formations which line the area, some as large as city buildings which are awe inspiring, especially when you consider just how long it took these coral formations to be built.
Within these formations are all types of marine life that start with the many tropical fish with dot the areas above the coral to the larger sharks which huddle in the crevices at the base or bottom of the formations. You will also see pelagic fish in the more open areas while smaller fish can be found near the enclosed or coral formations.
Just viewing these massive formations from the top will offer a unique view of the Palancar Bricks as if you were flying over a cityscape or small mountain range. Swimming between the formations will provide a closer look and more interaction with the marine life. The species you may find are Turtles, Southern Stingrays, Green Moray Eel, Bar Jacks, Groupers, Nurse Shark, Spanish Hogfish...

Diving Conditions & Experience Level Requirements :
When entering along the sandy flats which are generally from the southwest, you’ll see the massive coral formations at roughly 10 to 15 meters in depth. From there, you can swim around the “buildings” as it were while exploring. For advanced divers, exploring the base of these massive structures will require going down to 35 meters.
Overall, the diving conditions themselves are relatively friendly with only moderate currents that are blocked by the most part by the coral formations. The actual skill level will depend on how deep a diver goes and the specific area among the Palancar Bricks that is explored. However, it is recommended that intermediate level divers swim in this area.
Because of the layout of the formations, the Palancar Bricks is arguably the most dramatic area of the entire coral reef formation. The very size of the coral itself is quite striking and the number of different marine life that dot the area make it one of the best places for scuba divers to explore.